Timer



G. W. ALDEEN TIMER July 27, 1926. 1,593,861

Fild April 19, 1925 Patented July 27, 1926.

UNITED STATES 'ennon w.

ALDEEN, OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 'IO FYBAC MANUFACTURING (10., OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

TIMER.

Application filed April 19, 1923. Serial No. 633,076.

This invention relates to timers or commutators for internal combustion engines. One of the primary objects is to provide in a timer, an all-metal track for the rotating contact or brush, which track is preferably carried by an insulating'block and includes a series of contacts or terminals connected by conductorsto the ignition means in the cylinders of the motors. Another object in this regard, is to so construct said track and revolving contact that the latter will have continuous bearing on the track. This construction insures even wear and relatively long life for parts of this charac ter. Furthermore, in the event that the fixed contacts should require cleaning, the block on which they are carried may be removed and the entire track refinished on a fiat abrasive surface.

Another object is to provide in a timer an all-metal track of the character described comprising segmental elements, including.

the terminal contacts, the initial contact faces of which are disposed in radial planes, and in the provision of a revolving brush, the initial contact face of which is likewise disposed in a radial plane, so that such edge will make simultaneous contact from end to end with the respective initial contact faces'of said terminal contacts. This construction prevents uneven wear and arcing and is a factor inproducing superlor 1gn1- tion qualities.

Still another object is toprovide a timer of generally improved construction comprising three principal units, namely, a shell which houses the rotating brush, an insulat-. ing block which carries the terminal con-' tacts and binding posts for the conductors, and'a cover which incloses and protects the binding posts and conductor connections. These units seated one upon another are held inoperative relation by fastening means permitting quick detachment or removal of the units without the use of tools or without removing any fastening parts. Thus, thecover may be quickly removed for access to the conductor wires or'their connections to respectively so that each is held in operative' position by independent spring elements.

My invention also contemplates the provision of a timer of the character described, composed of such few parts and constructed in such simple manner as toenable production at a comparatively low. cost and which at the same time will be thoroughly practical and durable.

Other objects and attendant advantages will be appreciated by those skilled in this artas the invention becomes better understood by reference to the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a front View of a timer embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a front view with the cover removed;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a rear view of the timer;

Fig. 5 is a view of a detail which will be described later;

Fig. 6 is a side view showing the spring snap fasteners for -holdingthe insulating block and cover in position;

'Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section taken substantially on the line 7-7 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 is a side view of the brush and its holder removed from the timer; and

Fig. 9 is a section taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

While the timer disclosed herein is especially adapted for use on Ford engines, it should be understood that this example is for illustrative purpose merely, and that my invention isintended for timers in general, that is, for use on any internal combustion engine, l

The shell or casing designated generally by 11, may be carried on any support in a position concentric with respect to a timer shaft 12 and with capacity to oscillate about such shaft. In the present instance, the shell maybe oscillated by operation of an eye bracket 13 to which. the usual spark advancing and retarding rod, not shown, is connected- This shell houses a rotating contact or brush on the'shaft 12 and carries the insulating block and cover which will be presently described.

The rotating contact or brush 14 is carried designed to function in a iarticularly by a suitable holder lined to the timer shaft 12. The brush, preferably in the form of a block having a rectangular contact face 16, slidably supported in a recess 17 in the holder, an expansion spring 18 serving to constantly urge the brush forwardly into contact with the track which will be presently described, and a stop screw 19 serving to prevent ejection of the brush when said. track is removed. Viewing Fig. 4;, it will be observed that the initial contact edge 21 of the brush is disposed in a radial plane with respect to the timer shaft, The face of the brush and the initial contact edge 21 are adthe devantageous manner in connection with track elements which will presently be scribed.

The contacts with which the brush makes contact are carried by an insulating block designated generally by 22. This block has an annular shoulder 23 on its inner side, which seats on the outer edge of the shell 11. Said block carries on its inner side 25:, a series of segmental contact elements 25 and track elements '26 in alternating, circumferentially spaced relation. The inner faces of these elements are disposed in a common plane and form a track interrupted only by the space between such elements. This space in each instance is of much less width than the face 16 of the brush so that the latter in moving over the track will be in continuous contact therewith. The track, therefore, provides a continuous support for the brush face, and inasmuch as the elements making up the track are metallic, an all metal track is provided. A track of his kind will wear evenly throughout its length; and it follows that the contacts 25 being component parts of the track, will wear evenly from end to end, and thus have greater longevity than the contacts in prior timer constructions, in which the revolving contact does not move on a track, or in the event that it does, the track is not all-metal and uneven wear develops. It will be observed that the track GlGIIICDl -S are segmental in form and provide a relatively wide track face; furthermore, that the initial contact edge 27 of each terminal contact 25 is disposed in a radial plane coincident with the plane of the edge. 21. on the brush so that the latter will make simultaneous contact from end to end with the terminal contact. This also prevents uneven wear and at the same time prevents arcing at the contact point and insures conduction of full capacity which is essential for the best ignition.

In the preferred form of my invention, the block 22 is cast from suitable insulated material and the segmental elements making up the track are set in the mold and thereby embedded in the casting. In order to securely retain the segmental elements 26 in contact elements are likewise formed so that when embedded, they will be securely held in position against displacement. The construction of the contact elements herein disclosed is particularly desirable as it permits manufacture at a compartively low cost. In practice, I prefer to form these elements from a piece of brass rod. In the course of manufacture, each piece of rod is upset at one end, providing a head 29, and this head will be finished to provide the desired segmental shape as shown. The shank 31 will be threaded at its end 32, which serves as the binding post and the intermediate portion may 'be shaped to provide grooves 33 for reception of the insulating material. Such grooves may be either a continuation of the threads 32 or they may be independent thereof as in the present case, permitting the shank to be of larger diameter.

The conductor wires 34L may be connected to the binding posts 32 by any suitable means, and at present are equipped with conncctor plates 35 clamped to such posts by nuts 36 threaded thereon. Said wires emanate from one side. of the insulation block, as shown plainly on Fig. 2, and pass through grooves 37 formed in flange 38 on said block. These grooves serve to properly locate the wires and hold them in spaced relation.

The cover 39 seats on the flange 38 on the insulating block and fits the annular locating shoulder ll thereon. This cover forms an effective housing for the conductor connections and closes the open side of the grooves 37, thus serving to prevent displacement of the conductor wires.

Means is now provided, preferably can ried by the shell 11, for detachably holding it and the insulating'block and the cover in operative relation. This means comprises spring snap fasteners on diametrically opposed sides of the shell, each having spring arms 42 and 4:3, the former of which is adapted to engage over the peripheral edge is of the insulating block and the latter over the edge 45 of the cover. Each pair of spring arms may be formed from asingle piece of spring materiah land this may be riveted to the outside of the shell as shown. The raised edge 4L5 is notched at .20 for reception of the ends of the spring arms 42, so

that the latter may be unrestricted in its engagement with the edge 44.

In order to properly locate the contactcarrying block with respect to the shell, I have provided interfitting parts, shown on Figs. 3 and 5, comprising a recess 46 in the forward edge of the shell adapted to receive a locating boss 47 on the block. In the use of this timer on different engines, it is sometimes desired to change the location of the the raised marginal .1

contact carrying block with respect to the shell, and in such event an additional recess 46 may be provided, making the timer adaptable to either one engine orthe other. In practice, the timer as a whole may be held in position by means of the usual spring element, not shown, which engages in the socket 46 in the cover.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the cover and contact-carrying block units may be removed either independently or together simply by withdrawing them against the pressure of the spring arms 42 and 43. Thus, these units may be quickly and conveniently removed without the use of tools and without removing fastening elements of any kind. Removal of the cover gives access to the binding posts and connections which may be inspected or repaired as the case may require, without removal of the contact-carrying block or the shell. For inspection of the contacts the block may be removed, and if necessary, the contact surfaces may be cleaned or refinished as described above. In operation the all-metal track, so called by reason of the fact that the revolving contact has continuous bearing on the segmental metal track surfaces, is especially desirable, because it, insures even wear, longevity and a smooth running motor, and when I necessary, its face may be easily cleaned or refinished.

It is believed that the foregoing conveys a clear understanding of the objects prefaced above, and while I have illustrated but a single working embodiment, it should be understood that changes might be made in details of construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim 1. In a timer, in combination, a shell, a rotating brush within the shell, a contactcarrying block removably seated on the shell, a cover removably seated on the block and enclosing the contact lead wire connections, and a plurality of spring elements secured at diametrically spaced positions on the shell, each spring element having two spring fingers, one having yielding connection with the contact carrying block and the other having yielding connection with the cover for holding them in position and permitting quick detachment of the block and cover as a unit or of the cover independently of the block.

2. In a timer having in combination a shell, a rotating brush within the shell, a contact-carrying block removably seated on the shell anda cover removably seated on the block serving to enclose the contact lead wire connections, a plurality of spring clips secured at circumferentially spaced points on the shell providing fingers some of which engage the contact-carrying block and the others of which engage the cover whereby to permit quick detachment of the block and cover as aunit or of the cover independently of the block.

GEDOR W. ALDEEN. 

